


Afternoon

by winterhats



Category: Kagerou Project, Mekakucity Actors
Genre: F/M, don't take the summary seriously no one actually kills anybody, so silly, this is silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-15 21:30:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8073364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterhats/pseuds/winterhats
Summary: In which Takane's planning a massive murder, Haruka is somehow calm, Ayano is baby crazy and Shintaro doesn't know what's going on (but whatever it is, he wants to go home.) [Request.]





	

**Author's Note:**

> I'll keep publishing tumblr requests because I just can, I'm not looking for excuses. Unedited because I'm a lazy ass, of course.
> 
> Okay I'm repeating that this is just post-str yuukei quartet being silly because I like silly prompts what even is seriousness

The three of them immediately stop talking when there’s the sound of a door suddenly slamming.

“Is that the walking nightmare coming?” he whispers, although both of the people present only frown at his comment. _This is why I never try to be funny, right?_ Shintaro thinks, already expecting a quick scold from his wife.

Of course, just like he’s anticipated, Ayano soon opens her mouth and she has that adorable naggy face of hers, but she’s actually interrupted by Haruka before even being able to get the words out of herself.

“Shintaro-kun, please don’t be rude once she’s here,”  he says, and Shintaro would have complained if there wasn’t a big part of him telling him that he should listen to him instead of laughing it off like he’d usually do. “It’s most likely she’ll be annoyed if you are, and we want her to feel comfortable, don’t we?”

Trying not to pay him much attention, Shintaro decides to simply shrug as an answer. He wouldn’t have had the time to say anything anyway, because Takane storms into the kitchen, where they’ve all been quietly having tea, and she does _not_  look like she’s enjoying herself.

Her face does change at the sight of Shintaro and Ayano though, but that still didn’t mean she was brightened up. She only raises an eyebrow, walking towards a chair without even waving hello. The silence, despite having barely lasted about five seconds, felt heavy and awkward, or maybe only Shintaro thought so since everything is heavy and awkward for him. Haruka then makes sure to break it, speaking up in a rather, also awkward, voice,

“You’re home early, Takane!” he jumps slightly from his seat when she glares at him, and Shintaro can’t help but wonder what did that mean. She always glares, that’s like, _her thing_ , isn’t it? So it was hard to tell if she was silently planning to murder everybody in the room or if she was just tired.

“They sent me home for the day,” that’s her glacial response, and now it is apparent not only to him, but presumably also for Ayano and Haruka that Takane was indeed planning to murder everyone. She clears her throat and he doesn’t know why she looks _so scary_ , she simply does. “They kept telling me things like “ohh, please! You’re pregnant! It’d be best for you and your child to go home and rest! You should get the maternity leave already!” so they basically annoyed me until I had to literally leave.“

"Ma – maybe it isn’t that crazy of an idea what they were saying…” Ayano says hesitantly, making a rather nervous smile once Takane’s attention is on her. “I mean, it really isn’t out of this world to tell a pregnant lady to rest!”

“Ayano-chan, I love you and thank you for visiting today, but I think I’ll have to kick you out if you call me "lady” again.“

Shintaro feels like spitting her for speaking to his living angel that way. She can be mean to him or Haruka, but _Ayano_? Just how much of a dry heart you’ve got to have to say something mean to Ayano? His own mean words don’t count because they’re said with a one-hundred percent of intention to see the hilariously adorable face she makes.

She doesn’t even make that cute face, she only goes on in sipping her cup of tea with cheeks flushed in a bit of embarrassment, whispering a small "sorry.” Shintaro’d actually try to bicker with Takane about it if it wasn’t that, well, she looked like she could kill him.

(She looks like she could kill him in daily basis, but this time she looked like she’d do it for real.)

“But, hey, Takane-san!” Ayano’s shyness doesn’t last long though, her usual blissfulness is back to her face soon after, even if there’s still a hint of nervousness in her features. “You do have a small cute baby bump already!”

“I wouldn’t describe it as cute.”

“How would you, then?”

“As horrifying,” Takane answers, sure of herself as she nods. She did look quite calm while stating so, but she’s suddenly pointing at Ayano and then at Shintaro himself in an accusing kind of way. “You. Use protection.”

“Wh– Hey! Mind your own business!” he’s fast to protest, and he knows he’s ridiculous enough to be blushing now. He’s married, why is it embarrasing? Not paying attention to his own unecessary thoughts, he looks at the very-much-quiet Haruka as if silently asking him to _control his wife_. Haruka seems to actually understand the look, but all he does about it is look back at him as if saying “out of my hands, sorry.” Which doesn’t help at all.

“But I do want to have children…” unaffected by what seemed to be practically an order, Ayano makes a reply on her own, and she lets it sound quite offended.

_Please, some empathy. Let’s not get into this topic now…_

“Then adopt or something!” it sounds way more intimidating than it should, considering what she’s saying. Takane uncrosses her arms to gesticulate as she speaks, gesturing at her swollen belly, “Because trust me when I say this _sucks_.”

“But I want to carry Shintaro’s child!”

“That’s just a gross sentence, Ayano-chan, seriously.”

“Now, now– Takane, why don’t you have a cup of tea with us, maybe it’ll…” Haruka finally decides to intervene, which Shintaro will be grateful of for the rest of eternity. They were getting into a conversation he did _not_  want to witness, or worse, _participate in._

Still, right after he speaks up, all the apparent calmness Takane seemed to have gathered fades away as if it never was there. Her head is slow to turn at him, but once it does, she welcomes him with a face that Shintaro could only compare to the devil. Nonetheless, Haruka seems to handle it well, even managing a question out and also to keep his usual smile on his face, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because, Haruka, I’d rather have alcohol or something,” she starts, and Shintaro’s just bemused of how Haruka hadn’t turned into stone or something by the way she’s looking at him. Instead he irradiates patience out of him, and Shintaro can’t help but feel jealous. If Ayano remotely ends up in the same state, there’s no way he could stand her. “But I can’t have that, can I?”

“You can’t, no,” he answers, calmly sipping on his tea despite it’s quite obvious Takane won’t leave it at that. Ayano’s not even talking, so Shintaro guesses she might feel as awkward as he is, and it’s good to know it’s not only him. “Even if you could, there’s no alcohol around. Just tea. Do you want tea?”

“I don’t.”

“Alright,”

“Shintaro, stop laughing!” Ayano punches him lightly on his shoulder (if that was even a punch) when he can’t help a small snicker. And, since he does everything wrong, he can’t stop laughing when she tells him to.

Because the deadly silence was too much, and of course he always laughs in the less appropiate moment. Although the laughter only lasts until something actually punches him and he has to shut up so he can let out a whine of pain instead. Takane’s looking angrily at him from across the table, and he comes to realize with an inane feeling of fear that she just kicked him. What if he has to amputate his leg now–

“Okay, I think you’re exhausted,” Haruka stands up, glancing worriedly over him to check if he’s fine. He’s not, but it’s not like he could do anything about it anyway. Ayano’s patting his back, so that’s comforting. Haruka places his hands on Takane’s shoulders, speaking gently to her despite he’s, noticeably, not amused, “Let’s go, I’ll help you get in bed.”

“Get me in bed? Oh, you didn’t have trouble doing so the first time, isn’t it?” she doesn’t make any efforts of leaving the chair, a stiff frown still on her face even when she sounds bluntly sarcastic. Shintaro feels like laughing again, but that’s a really bad idea for lots of reasons, so he only stays quiet as he hears Haruka sigh as a way of response. “C'mon, don’t be shy only because there’s people over! Why don’t you use your  _charms_  to get me in bed instead!?”

“Takane–”

“Oh wait, am I making you guys feel uncomfortable?” she leans in towards the table as much as her belly allows her to, and both Ayano and him just shrug, neither sure exactly why. “See? They’re fine. I mean, it’s the beauty of recreating life! Right here, live action!”

“Takane, is this necessary? Acting like this brightens up your mood?” maybe she finally tired herself out, or maybe what Haruka’s asking finally hits her brain. There’s no way Shintaro could figure their looks out, except for that they both seem to understand it just fine.

Takane’s expression changes after he asks that, and she just lets out a long sigh, “Okay, I guess not,” standing up, she slaps Haruka’s hands off of her shoulders. “Your daughter keeps pressing herself against my bladder so I’m going to the bathroom, anyway.”

“She’s your daughter too, you know…?”

“And then I’ll go to bed,” ignoring her husband’s words again, she just waves at them as she lazily walks towards the door. Sliding it open, she adds, “Or I’ll just take a nap in the toilet.”

“Call me if you need anything!” Haruka winces when a slam of the door is his answer, turning around to the still-pretty-uncomfortable-looking couple. “Sorry for that.”

“It’s not your fault!” Ayano’s quick to assure him, of course. “If she’s at the other extreme when she’s on a good mood then it might be actually good!”

“Not really, no, but thanks,” sitting down again, he lets out a weak giggle. Shintaro kind of wants to ask if Takane’s the same way when she’s on her period, because if that’s the case, then they should all just pray for Haruka. He doesn’t though, since he knows that would only earn yet another scold from Ayano.

Now, it seemed like they were ready to come back to talk about stuff Shintaro doesn’t care much about. Because Ayano soon mentions that they had said “daughter” earlier, and she starts to jokingly nag at Haruka for not having told them they already knew the gender and blah, blah, blah.

So they spend the rest of the afternoon talking nonsense, but it’s not all that bad.

* * *

“You can still come back any time you want.”

“We’re counting on that!”

“Yes, just let us know when Takane’s not home and we’ll visit.”

Ayano pushes him gently once she also stands up from putting her shoes on, and Shintaro just shrugs. He isn’t joking though; he’s not sure how it is possible for a person of the size of Takane to have so much rage.

–Ironically, she appears in the room before Haruka could open the front door for them. Fortunately, she doesn’t look like she came here to yell or any of the kind. She rather looks like a nap has beat the living soul out of her. Haruka smiles at her, nodding as if prompting her to talk, which, surprisingly, Takane does (of course, not without groaning in advance,)

“I just wanted to apologize, not only because Haruka made me but because I really am sorry for acting all bitchy,” she practically spits it out, but it didn’t make it mean any less. “I’m not sorry for telling you to use protection, though. I’m serious about that, have you guys watched any videos of women giving birth?”

“It’s not our particular taste for videos,” he deadpans back, receiving a sarcastic (and quite soothing, he must admit) smile from her. It seems that under all that evil there’s still his friend (who is indeed also evil and bitchy, but this was just extreme.)

“She just watches those when she can’t sleep. I don’t recommend them though.”

“Shut up, Haruka. It’s utterly horrifying and they need to know that.”

“But it’s the miracle of life…” Shintaro isn’t sure if Ayano is only kidding when she says it, because he isn’t planning on watching the videos, and he’d like to believe his wife isn’t, either. Not wanting to discuss it forward to the point of finding out, he just clears his throat.

“Okay– off we go,”

Ayano talks endlessly about baby stuff on the way home, but even so, Shintaro decides it’s been a good day.


End file.
